Food Advisory Committee Emory (FACE) announced that Atlanta-based Highland Bakery will replace Einstein Bros Bagels at the Goizueta Business School during winter break.
David Furhman, senior director of the University Food Service Administration, said he hopes the restaurant will be ready to open Jan. 6, which would give the restaurant five days of operation before students arrive back on campus for the spring semester. However, Furhman added that the estimation is entirely dependent on the timing of receiving both fire and health permits, which may delay the restaurant's opening until Jan. 13.
FACE made the announcement yesterday during their final meeting of the semester. FACE is an organization comprised of students that holds monthly open meetings to solicit student feedback regarding campus dining options.
The Emory Highland Bakery, a local Atlanta bake shop, with be the venue's fifth location. The restaurant already has locations in Midtown, Buckhead and the Old Fourth Ward as well as on the Georgia Institute of Technology's campus.
"This is going to sort of be the higher end of dining options on campus, if you will," Furhman said. "It's going to fill a missing piece of dining on campus."
Emory's Highland Bakery menu is based off the Georgia Tech location's menu and will include soups, salads, sandwiches, omelets, pancakes and many other options, according to Furhman.
According to College senior and FACE Co-Chair Michael Sacks, the restaurant will be open Monday through Friday. However, he added, the University is considering opening the bakery during weekends as the bakery at other locations is very popular on those days.
"Entertaining the idea of maybe opening on the weekends given that there is business is a possibility we are very receptive to," Sacks said.
FACE found that students were tired of bagels in the feedback they collected, Furhman said.
"[Einstein's] was somewhat of a narrow-scope menu," Furhman said. "It was bagels for breakfast, bagel sandwich for lunch. Do you want a toasted bagel or a pumpernickel bagel or a bagel thin?"
The addition of local restaurants to campus such as D.B.A. BBQ and Twisted Taco during the summer renovation is part of a greater vision for dining on Emory's campus, which included the renovation of Cox Hall this summer. Furhman said he hopes to continue to update and offer a wide variety of high-quality food selections on campus.
Students made it clear in the feedback that they wanted a new venue that offered more variety including hot entrées, Furhman said. Corner Bakery Café and Panera Bread were also considered, according to Furhman.
Furhman went to the Georgia Tech campus' Highland Bakery when he was looking into options to replace the bagel chain. He said he was so impressed that he proposed the idea to FACE.
Discussions between Highland Bakery, Sodexo and Emory began in May and carried throughout the summer and fall, Furhman said.
"It's not a chain like Panera or [Einstein Bros.]," Sacks said. "[Highland Bakery] is much more open to future changes, changes we had up front and all sorts of differences."
Sacks said the restaurant's flexibility allowed them to work to adjust the menu to cater to student needs.
Furhman added that Highland Bakery was a better choice over regular chain restaurants because they don't have the "rigid, stringent sort of corporate franchise rules and regulations about everything."
"Whether it be square footage or particular lighting, [Highland Bakery] had a lot more flexibility," he said.
Karoline Porcello, B-School junior and FACE co-chair, said the restaurant's flexibility allowed them to make their portion sizes a little bit smaller and lighter to help bring the price point down and be accommodating to the average student's lifestyle.
Many students said they are excited for the new restaurant to open on campus.
"I'm an Atlanta native and I've actually gotten to eat there a couple of times in Buckhead, and it's really delicious," B-School junior Ben Cheriyan said. "It's always been good. I am a big fan of their omelets."
College sophomore Casey Costello said she is looking forward to checking out the menu because she has heard great things about Highland Bakery.
Furhman said, "The space is going to be a much more contemporary, inviting, dare I say it: cozy yet hip, it's cool."
–By Dustin Slade
